Legal requirement for sitting left seat?

Are there any regulations regarding where the PIC sits when not instructing? This would come into play when flying solo, or with non-pilot passengers. The reason for me wanting to sit right-seat on these flights is to get more practice flying from that side before and during CFI training. I have flown and landed from the right seat many times with other pilot's in the left, so I absolutely feel comfortable/safe doing so, I just want to make sure it's all legal. Thanks.

Ace Any FAA Written Test!

Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates

The best explanations in the business

Fast, efficient study.

Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!

FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.

Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.

Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.

The World's Most Trusted eLogbook

Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.

Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.

Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.

Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome
PC,
Mac,
iPhone/iPad,
and Android
aviation
apps of our sponsors.

5 Answers

While there’s no legal requirement, if you are renting, there might be a contractual requirement in that your rental agreement might require that you fly solo from the left seat unless you have some sort of authorization by the FBO.

There is no legal requirement for the PIC to occupy a specific pilot seat per the FAA.

Although not a problem for most general aviation aircraft, some aircraft certifications require the pilot, if solo, to fly from a specific seat. This is due to the layout of controls, switches, valves, etc…

0 Votes0 Votes0 Votes

The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions.
If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome
to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area.
Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome.
However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that
may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such
links nominally are relevant to the question asked.